High-throughput DNA sequencing on historical collections of beetles: Phylogenetic studies among Platynotini (Tenebrionidae)

Platynotini Mulsant & Rey is a widely distributed (Afrotropical, Nearctic, Neotropical, Palaearctic, Indomalayan realms) tribe of darkling beetles representing the subfamily Blaptinae Leach. The lineage contains 75 genera and ~590 species divided into two subtribes – Eurynotina Mulsant & Rey (restricted to southern Africa), and Platynotini. Many display interesting evolutionary adaptations to thrive in arid environments, such as longevity of adult forms and ovoviviparity. However, a lack of comprehensive phylogenetic studies inhibits ecological and ethological studies on Platynotini. As several species of this tribe are known only from relatively small type series, museomics were implemented to resolve the group's phylogeny. Specifically, target enrichment high throughput sequencing was used to target 548 loci spanning over 170,000 amino acids from historical and recently collected specimens. Morphological traits were also examined. The applicability of the concatenated datasets (genomic data + morphology) to recover phylogenetic relations among extremely rarely collected taxa is discussed.